Embracing Widgets: The Ultimate Guide to Apple’s Fall OS Update

2023-06-22 07:04:46
Of all the features that will be added to macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS this fall, ‘widgets’ are the most anticipated. It’s not a joke, it’s the truth. Of course, widgets have been around for a long time. And three years ago, Apple overhauled the widget experience with iOS 14, introducing new widget templates, home screen widgets, and smart stacks. On the iPad, widgets were relegated to the sidebar, but a year later, iPadOS 15 improved the ability to place widgets anywhere on the home screen. In macOS Big Sur, you could place widgets in the right-side notification bar just like iPhone does. But with a welcome change in this fall’s OS update, widgets will be elevated to a prominent place throughout Apple’s ecosystem. ⓒApple Widgets everywhere Widgets have existed for a long time on all Apple platforms except for tvOS. However, in watchOS, widgets existed only on the Siri watch face, and the number was very limited. In watchOS 10, swiping up or turning the digital crown brings up a list of widgets. You can check important information in the Apple Watch app without opening the app. It’s a much better solution than trying to cram important information into a small watch. When a background task is in progress, a small interactive card pops up on this widget stack. This allows, for example, to pause or resume timers or music playback. I’ve been using my Apple Watch this way since early developer betas. We hope to see an updated Apple Watch app soon with some cool new widgets for this stack. Widgets in iOS and iPadOS, which were nothing new, now have ‘interactive’ capabilities. This means that the likelihood of using the widget is 1,000 times higher than before. I want to check the weather at a glance without entering the app, but I don’t want to see my shopping list on the home screen. ‘Everything’ would be different if you could check your shopping list right from the widget. I also never thought it would be nice to have an Apple Music widget on my home screen, that was before I could play music directly from the widget. ⓒApple But it’s in macOS that really takes widgets to the next level. Currently, the widgets available in Notification Center have only basic functionality. In macOS Sonoma, widgets can be placed on the home screen, interactive widgets can be used, and iPhone widgets can be placed on the Mac and used (iPhone widgets work as long as the iPhone is nearby or connected to the same network). ). I immediately created a second virtual desktop and filled it with a large widget. It’s the return of the dashboard, but better than the dashboard! Widgets will play a big role No matter what Apple device you use, the changes to widgets this fall will completely change the way you use all of your Apple devices. Interactive widgets in iOS and iPadOS let you see information at a glance and perform basic tasks without opening an app. That’s great. On Android, it is a feature that has been available for a long time, albeit in a less structured and less attractive way, and iPhone users have been requesting this feature since the ‘Widget Reorganization’ in 2020. On the Apple Watch, widgets are the core of the new interface. What’s important about the watch is information that’s easy to see at a glance, but the watch lacks space and flexibility (plus, average users still don’t know, and don’t want to know, how to edit and change widgets). A smart stack of widgets is a great way to make Apple Watch apps useful again, and it could help revitalize the currently somewhat stagnant watch app ecosystem. Meanwhile, unifying all of this is macOS. Macs are where users work. As such, the widgets were pretty much useless with a tiny off-screen notification center full of generic (non-interactive) widgets. The ability to place widgets on the desktop and the addition of interactivity can quickly transform a blank desktop into a vital space in the Apple ecosystem. Being able to use iPhone widgets is another great way to use your iPhone without having to pick it up. Not to mention the iPhone’s new Standby mode. Place your charging iPhone in landscape to access the new clock, calendar view, and widgets. Standby mode is only available on iPhones for now, but it’s almost certain to be coming to iPads and Macs in the next year or two. This will make widgets more attractive to app developers. Third-party apps will need to be updated to support interactive widgets, and new apps targeting the new operating system won’t appear on the App Store until this fall. But keep in mind. By this time next year, Apple devices will be full of widgets, and users will love [email protected]
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